ChzBurger

Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered. I'm all for paying for value. But all the subscriptions take a toll. If C4 is going to make the annual fee higher and mandatory hopefully they will invest some $ in a couple developers for non-AV integrations. Relying on 3rd party developers is a double-edged sword. (This is not a criticism of those developers.)

Ha ha. The video showed a Shelly integration. The guy talked about future Home Assistant integration. One C4 3rd party integration that seems pretty popular is Kasa. People, even rich ones, want to be able to use the stuff they see on Amazon, in Home Depot, or at Best Buy. Some of the Matter stuff is getting interesting, for example. Will C4 users get direct access to these devices? Probably, some day.

Every $ spent is a vote. I have a Ring doorbell and don't want to keep on adding more $ to my RMR spend. Should I get a Chime with C4 lock in? Or should I get a high-end Ubiquiti or low-end Reolink?

Configuring a well-functioning C4 system takes no more and no less skill than configuring a well-functioning Hubitat, Home Assistant, etc. system. It's a skill that's benefitted by experience and systematic thinking. There's no magic to any of these systems. The fact that the company locks up the ability to add devices for the few who want to do it is silly. It should be viewed as silly from the C4 corporate perspective. The crazy people are the ones who push systems to limits and make the product managers/developers think past existing boundaries. Speaking of tinkering, anyone been able to get the nice new Matter-based Third Reality Night Light working in their C4 system?

Control4 can work very well. As others have stated, dealers play a very important role. They can make or break a project. Dealers get paid based on both time and margin on hardware. If you live in a larger area get multiple bids. Look at both competence and price. Remember you are ultimately in charge of the scope & specs of the project. The main selling points for C4 are UI ease of use, comprehensiveness, reliability, and support. Functionally all these control/automation systems, from a $150 DIY controller to the C4 controllers, work basically the same. They are all event based. A button is pushed, a light comes on. Time becomes sunset, a light goes on. The additional technical functions that C4 offers over DIY systems mostly relate to AV control/automation. There aren't many technical reasons to choose a different dealer system over C4. My #1 piece of advice is to make your design as controller agnostic/independent as possible. Control4 makes some nice C4 branded stuff, but most of it requires a C4 controller. The home automation market is in a competitive phase. Lots of companies are entering the automation market. And C4 is a public company that is going through some business model changes that are adding yearly licensing fees. What happens if you find a reason to make a change of controller?

I don't live in an area that would call for multiple days of heat, so none of what I write may be applicable to your situation. Does your system have a moisture sensor built into it? My setup (not C4, but C4 should be able to handle) is to have the moisture sensor run into a switched relay. My sensor is pretty sensitive and will go off for flurries and snowy rain. So I have the system programmed to send me a notification when the sensor calls for heat via the switch. The default is to have the switch control the relay, so I don't have to do anything with the notification if I want the system to run. But if I don't want the system to run I can push a button to turn off the relay for the boiler. The system automatically resets itself, so I don't have to worry about the next call for heat. We recently had a week of snowy rain. I had to turn off the whole system as I'd get multiple notices per day.

And implement Zigbee 3.0 device compatibility. And Matter (Thread too). And hire a couple developers to Sherlock 3rd party drivers that should be part of the base system.

I've had C4 for 3 years. In those 3 years I've had no problem paying for 4sight. In those 3 years there have been some modest but useful UI tweaks, a couple mediocre (other than voice) remote controls, and evolutionary controllers. It's hard for me to see how the new pricing is anything more than a grab. If I pay more I want to get more. And that more does not include being more locked down. So glad I have Lutron lights. DIY systems now have access to Matter devices, both Thread & WiFi. C4 still doesn't support standard Zigbee devices.

Delete

If you have wired sensors you may want to consider the IQ Pro. This flyer has a good comparison of the Qolsys/DSC systems. https://qolsys.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/IQ-Pro-Flyer.pdf

The button is a 1 way control from C4. You can use it in Apple Home automations. No idea about your motion question. @Derek is the developer, can also be contacted at driver-support@finitelabs.com

I installed ratgdo in Home Assistant. Works great. Gives access to light and motion sensor too. Also has some information that mostly isn't very useful for automation. Integrate to C4: https://github.com/bphillips09/Control4-HA-Garage-Door

Both programs are dumpster fires of a legacy system (too harsh?). They work, but are not pretty. The hardest part about programming/configuring C4 is figuring where to go in the layers of enhancements added over time to find stuff. If you use it regularly you'll build up your muscle memory.

OK in theory. But different vendors have different strengths, especially with sensors. The nice thing about Zigbee sensors is that a lot of them can potentially use common drivers. Motion sensor examples: Lutron (not Zigbee) big and ugly but very sensitive. NYCE great form factors especially curtain sensor, Hue larger but good for measuring illuminance, Third Reality works well enough and cheap, etc. If you just want dimming the Caséta lamp dimmers work great and are a lot cheaper than the RadioRA 2/3 lamp dimmer.

What about Thread & Matter?